We were lucky to catch up with E.s.keen recently and have shared our conversation below.
E.s.keen, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
When it comes to imposter syndrome I figured that I’d get nowhere if I never tried; whether it came to writing or anything else I was invested in I would just actively apply myself and look up whatever else I needed guidance on. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy and we stop ourselves from being great at things that we should hold more confidence in knowing we are truly skilled at it to begin with.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I go by e.s.keen and I’m a poet by night, UX Designer by day. Talk about having various outlets for creativity haha. As a poet, my process may not be unique per say, but I draw from lived experiences. Things I’ve gone through, world events, stories that have been shared by friends and strangers alike. I travel every now and then so I draw inspiration from visiting other states that I get to experience and be present in.
The excitement in writing is that it’s my words being shared, inspiring or moving someone and to even touch one heart means the world to me. It makes us humans feel less alone in a world where connection feels like it’s lacking due to our reliance on technology.
I self published my first book, ‘Love Space & Loneliness’ back in August of 2023 and it was purchased/downloaded over 100 times! That alone is a feat in itself and an accomplishment for my 18 year old self that dreamed of publishing a book one day.
I became a full-time UX Designer the same month that I self published my first collection of poetry and it really felt like a huge achievement at the time. A UX Designer, for those who don’t know, is essentially a problem solver— someone who exists to make the “user experience” of a product or application easy to use while managing a combination of user empathy with business needs and impact.
Outside of being a UX Designer, I’ve written a ton of haiku (and senryu’s) this year. I’m fascinated by how you can deliver a fleeting moment in time in 17 syllables or less. While I don’t think the genre is widely popular amongst this current landscape of poetry, I quite enjoy the form factor and plan on sneaking in an entire section of it whenever I release my next collection of poetry (hint hint, its in the works, no release date as of yet).
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Speaking from my experience, I believe the qualities that stuck with me most in publishing my first collection of poetry would be resilience, authenticity and bravery. It’s daunting putting your work out into the world. No matter which form of media you choose. You will feel vulnerable, there are bound to be critics of your work, but there will be people who absolutely enjoy what you write and they’ll follow you to the ends of the Earth as long as you are faithful and honest to the work that you produce.
You always want to be authentic to yourself and have a moral compass because there are many who will steal the works of others and change a few words only to pawn it off as their own. That and the amount of people cheating their way with AI is heartbreaking in all forms of art and creativity. No matter what you are trying to achieve, as long as you remain faithful to who you are and your process then you will receive that back tenfold.
I’m very introverted so it’s hard to build up the courage to connect with others in the community, that and quite a number of open mic establishments had closed during the pandemic where I live, but I would say find two mediums that you really enjoy posting your work to. Connect with others and let them know how their work made you feel based on your own personal interpretation.
Collaborate when you can! Post your work out there, but don’t post everything. Especially if you plan on wanting to release something to your name one day. Be authentic, you’ll surround yourself with the right crowd as long as you are who you say you are. Writing is a craft that can be constantly learned and refined. So carve out some time in your week to write something, no matter what it is. You can’t improve if you don’t have a plan to invest in yourself and your craft.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
One book that I could recommend to everyone whether you’re a designer or not is The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. I feel like everyone could find some nuggets of knowledge in that book. It gives a keen perspective on how the world around us is made and how we interpret interacting with everyday objects.
Applying the knowledge of that book to something like writing. It makes me think about the perspective of who I’m writing for/from in my works and how I can make it so no matter who you are, you still feel the message as if you are the one standing in those shoes when it comes to interpreting a particular poem that has resonated with your heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: eskeenpoetry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.s.keen
- Other: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/eskeen.bsky.social
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@e.s.keen?_r=1&_t=ZP-917oLhoJqn9
